The FG Knot

About five years ago I switched from monofilament line on my fishing poles to fluorocarbon. I really don’t know the difference in terms of chemical makeup, but fluorocarbon is less stiff than monofilament, and it comes off the reel with less resistance. Fluorocarbon,...

Set for the Summer

Thirty years ago, when my cousin Tom bought a mom-and-pop resort in northern Wisconsin, I helped him run the place during his first two summer seasons. I tended bar, worked as groundskeeper and, as much as my limited skills allowed, served as handyman. The resort came...

A Sick Dog and the Need to Write

Years ago, somewhere in one of these blogs, I wrote that I like to write, but don’t need to write. I may have to revise that observation a bit. For the past two weeks I’ve skipped my morning writing sessions, and my days feel off-kilter as a result. Since I retired...

Moby Grape

When I lived in Taipei in the early 1990s, I read Atlas Shrugged. It is not the worst novel that I ever started, but it may be the worst novel I ever finished. I was new to Taiwan at the time and had yet to find a bookstore with an English language section. I was...

Hands Off

I did not participate in any of the Hands Off demonstrations two weekends ago. I was glad that the events were happening. I was especially pleased that hundreds of people in my own community of La Crosse lined one of the busiest streets in town with signs of protest....
Steven Simpson